| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Old Speck Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Eyebrow Trail, Old Speck Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 20, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Large lot at the top of Grafton Notch. $2pp/day fee payable in a tube (no envelopes, so I guess the honor system applies here?) |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All minor |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A bog bridge early on the Eyebrow Trail has largely fallen apart, one board remained and was just sufficient to cross on. Otherwise, all trails were in the usual rugged shape for Maine, but no blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a couple, might want to keep them close on the crossing of the large, slippery slab on the Eyebrow Trail. Nothing crazy on the Old Speck Trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few here and there, nothing bad. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
A hat was hanging on a tree at the upper Eyebrow/Old Speck Trail junction. A towel (Lehigh Valley) was hanging in a tree ~2/3 the way up during my descent. It wasn't there on the way up, I assume it belongs to one of the day hikers. |
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 | Comments: |
Started early for this one (apparently the 3rd person, second "group" of the day), as I wanted to get home before the heavy traffic on 95S. I've hiked Old Speck previously, but from Speck Pond, so this side was new to me. The Eyebrow Trail was dry on almost all the tricky ledges, and really seemed over-hyped to me. It was steep, but an over-abundance of steel rungs and a long cable handrail made the climb trivial, with only one slick spot on the ledge crossing that took a little care to ensure no slipping. I still wouldn't go down this trail, or up it when really wet, but I was expecting much harder. A nice view from a viewpoint along the top traverse of the cliff.
Otherwise, just a steady, somewhat steep climb above the junction to the summit (basically typical of Maine), where it decided to start sprinkling a little rain as I got to the tower. With the low cloud deck and more rolling in, I didn't bother climbing the tower this time. A pretty easy descent as the rain never really did any more than spit here and there, and things stayed fairly dry. I also wore my newish, very high-traction boots that proved to be a champ on this trail, I would have been sliding all over the place in my other boots.
More backpackers than dayhikers again on this hike, though most had been doing a single overnight at Speck Pond. A few SOBO Thru Hikers seen again, they get to play in Mahoosuc Notch now! |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-07-21 |
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 | Link: |
 https://mattshikes.blogspot.com/ |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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